VOLUNTEERS IN SPAIN

Greymouth Evening Star, 18 February 1937, Page 7

VOLUNTEERS IN SPAIN

50,000 ITALIANS REPORTED GERMANY’S MINOR PART [TIMES CABLES.] ' \ (Recd. Feb. 18’ 1 p.m.). / LONDON, February 17. V “The Times’s” Diplomatic Correspondent says: It is widely assumed ■that the foreign ,Governments supporting GeneraLFrahc&’believe that they will have supplied him with sufficient., aid, by the time non-intervention is enforced, successfully to"' finish the campaign. The inflow, especially of Italians, has been very rapid. In the past few weeks, the total number of Italians has risen from 10,000 to 50,000. The “Guardian’s” Diplomatic Correspondent agrees that there are 50,000 Italians, with ample supplies, of war material, at present in Spain, and adds that the dispatch of Russian war material to the Loyalists is being declined./ - French volunteering has been . brought to a standstill, .and 1000 disillusioned meriv'are clamouring to be fepatriaithdiX The campaign has be-< come mainly 4 ’an? ItaliXfij war against the dimini^hiijg^LQya,W t Party. . Germany is-now- -playing a minor part. It is reported that she does notedesire to leave considerable forces in . Spain, when they may be needed in Central Europe, in future. — 4 r. H w j “VOLUNTEER”EMBARGO.

LONDON, February 16.. At a full meeting of the international, non-intervention committee Herr von’ Ribbentrop welcomed the committee’s decision to place an embargo on shipments of arms or volunteers to Spain, .as a possible turning point. ' He announced that”’ Ger inanyi Mas > prepared to contribute financially to the diate operation of control by land and sea. He hoped Portugal would find.; a way to collaborate. Lord Plymouth (chairman of the committee) urged the necessity ofimmediate action. - The Russian,. French, and Italian representatives, also issued statements expressing satisfaction. ... V: The Portuguese delegates declared that the dangers confronting Spain;, .menaced the, .-public order .and independence of Portugal. Nevertheless, Portugal accepted the- ban on volunteers, while reserving her " attitude , to the supervision proposals. - The diplomatic correspondent of the “Daily Telegraph” understands that Potrugal is. willing s to-accept supervision of frontiers by ’ Britain alohe : if other nations raise no obejetions. BRITISH COMMUNISTS. • LONDON, February 16. About 150 British Communists:/left England recently to’ join the’ forces of the Spanish Government in - Madrid. This brings, number of British volunteers' in: Madrid up to 450, of whom the first went to Spain in August last. All of them are trained men, about half having fought in the Great War and the rest having served since the war in either the Regular or the Territorial Army,'apart'from a few students who have been members of the Officers’ Training Corps. ■ They are volunteers in the fullest sense, receiving no pay, and they-form-paj*t of the international Brigade. Most of them are infantrymen, but a large., proportion are machine-gunners. Many have abandoned good jobs jto fight rar the Spanish Government.” The ’ biggest contingents are from Scotland, South Wales, Lancashire,. and . London, and these' last two contain a number of’ Irishmen. ..'X.—. — •